The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) urgently calls for more humanitarian support in Myanmarâs Rakhine State, where armed conflict, blockades, and funding cuts drive a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition. WFP reports that 57 percent of families in central Rakhine are unable to afford basic food needs, up from 33 percent in December 2024.
The United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker TĂŒrk, has called on journalists to ensure that large-scale human suffering in forgotten crises around the world does not go unreported and that âthe demands of the people are amplified so that those with the power, influence and the funds hear it to make a difference.â The comments came on the eve of todayâs Human Rights Day, as Mr. TĂŒrk launched a yearlong campaign to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.
More than half of all children living in conflict areas in 2021 â an estimated 230 million â lived in the deadliest conflict countries, a 9% increase from the previous year, reveals new analysis from the humanitarian organization Save the Children International released today. High-intensity conflict zones are defined as conflict zones with more than 1,000 battle-related deaths in a year. The report also shows that about 449 million children worldwide were living in a conflict zone in 2021, a slight drop from the previous year.
One month after two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuelaâs north-central coast, humanitarian organizations are drawing attention to the long-term effects communities are still facing, including displacement, damaged infrastructure, and disrupted essential services. The earthquakes killed nearly 5,400 people, injured more than 16,000, and left thousands homeless.
The heads of more than a dozen United Nations agencies and international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have issued a rare joint statement Sunday calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Gaza officials reported today that more than 10,000 Palestinians - including more than 4,100 children - have been killed since October 7 by Israelâs retaliatory attacks against the tiny enclave.
Millions of people in Afghanistan are likely to have no food, healthcare or shelter this winter because of critical funding gaps. Donor have contributed so far less than 25 percent of humanitarian funding needed as 28.3 million people - two-thirds of the Afghanistanâs population - require humanitarian assistance this year. Lack of donor funding is the No. 1 problem hindering humanitarian response efforts.
According to estimates, more than 14,500 children have been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) since October 2023, when Israel began its war in the Gaza Strip, which is characterized by grave war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross violations of international humanitarian law. The real number of child fatalities is feared to be much higher, as thousands of children are reported missing and presumed dead.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns of a sharp decline in the humanitarian situation in El Fasher, the besieged capital of Sudanâs North Darfur State. OCHA reports that civilians in El Fasher continue to endure relentless attacks, acute hunger, and cholera. The population faces daily threats from shelling, airstrikes, and drone attacks â with fierce clashes reported in north-eastern districts of the state capital in recent weeks.
A ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia came into force early Tuesday local time, ending five days of fighting along their disputed border that forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The agreement was reached after urgent talks mediated by Malaysia under the umbrella of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and supported by the United States and China.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concern on Tuesday about a sharp increase in violence perpetrated by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) against civilians in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, with tens of thousands forced to flee their homes. While some aid agencies have had to temporarily suspend relief activities due to insecurity, other humanitarian operations have been brought to a halt due to a severe lack of funding.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has expressed grave concern for the safety of civilians and internally displaced people (IDPs) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, DR Congo) as fighting between the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) rebel group and the Congolese army further intensifies in South and North Kivu provinces, with the armed group advancing on the North Kivu capital of Goma.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that stepped-up fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan puts civilian lives at risk. In a major escalation on Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes and ground attacks on targets inside Afghanistan, aggravating the country's severe humanitarian and human rights crises.
After an 11-week total blockade of humanitarian and commercial goods into the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities have temporarily allowed the resumption of limited aid deliveries since Monday. While the entry of some trucks has been welcomed as a positive development, as of Wednesday night none of the supplies had reached those in need, amid extreme deprivation throughout the territory.
The United Nations, the Government of Cameroon and the humanitarian community have jointly launched the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for the country, where 3.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance this year. The Plan, released this week, targets 2.3 million vulnerable women, girls, men and boys in the most affected areas and requires US$371.4 million.
The human rights group Amnesty International (AI) accused Israel of committing acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza in a report released Thursday. It's the first time the leading non-governmental human rights organization has leveled such an accusation during an active conflict. Genocide is a term used to describe violent crimes committed against a group with the intent to destroy the existence of the group, in whole or in part.
The European Union (EU) says it is gravely concerned by the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo, DRC), which recently led to an immediate system-wide scale-up by the United Nations of humanitarian operations in the eastern part of the country. In a statement Friday by its High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, the EU also expressed outrage at the levels of violence and atrocities that continue to be perpetrated by armed groups with impunity against civilians.
The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated $5.9 million to support the rapid response to urgent humanitarian needs in Burkina Faso, particularly those of displaced people. This allocation comes amid the ongoing global funding crisis, and Burkina Faso being one of the most neglected displacement crises worldwide driven by insecurity and climate-related factors, such as drought and flooding.
The United Nations human rights office has condemned the increasing frequency of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes on schools in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians have sought shelter, carried out "with apparent disregard for the high rate of civilian fatalities." The condemnation follows dozens of IDF attacks on schools-turned-shelters in July, and horrific early Saturday morning strikes that killed up to 100 people.
United Nations human rights experts have warned Thursday about catastrophic consequences for Myanmar Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh if life-saving food aid is slashed, and issued an urgent plea for donations to the Rohingya Refugee Response. The warning comes as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced this week it will have to cut food assistance to Rohingya refugees for the first time since they fled Myanmar six years ago.
In a joint appeal Wednesday, the heads of UN humanitarian agencies and global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) urged world leaders to help prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children. They also called on Israel to fulfill its legal obligation under international humanitarian and human rights law to provide food and medical supplies and facilitate relief efforts.
